Dispenser



June 12, 1951 E. RAYMOND 2,556,599

DISPENSER Filed Jan 29, 1946 IN V EN TOR. EUGENE RA YMOND WMfW ATTORNEYS Patented June 12, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSER Eugene Raymond, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 29, 1946, Serial No. 643,982

/ they may be manually removed for use.

For practical utility, dispensers f the type alluded to require the inclusion of a storagecompartment of a sufficient size to accommodate a large quantity of the articles to be dispensed.

The internal construction of such devices there- .fore must incorporate mechanism or be designed to assure positive control of each article while the bulk thereof moves toward the point of release during their successive withdrawal for use so as to obviate jamming either within the receptacle or in the mouth of the orifice. The withdrawal of each match or toothpick from such prior art devices necessarily requires a slight shifting of the entire remaining bulk thereof toward the point of withdrawal, and due largely to the variation in cross-sectional contour of such articles it has been found that any initial or developed looseness in the packing of the articles within the receptacle causes a disruption in their essential alignment with resultant failure of the dispenser.

Dispensers have heretofore been manufactured which utilize gravity for feeding the stored articles toward a point of delivery as well as for shifting the same through a restricted opening in the storage receptacle into a supplementary tray. Such devices are usually objectionable due to the tendency of the articles to jam in the opening between the receptacle andtray.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle adapted for vertical disposition for storing and preserving a quantity of matches or toothpicks in a sanitary condition, and in which the articles are permitted to gravitate to a point of delivery within the receptacle =for manual removal without disturbing at any time prior to their actual withdrawal from the receptacle the function of any of the articles as a means for supporting the bulk thereof located above the point of removal.

More specifically, an. object is the provision .of a plate arranged in the lower end. of the receptacle to afford support for the stored product to be dispensed and to form one edge of a slot through which the articles may be withdrawn for use upon gravitation to the plate, the plate being inclined rearwardly to obviate any tendency of the articles toward falling out of the receptacle through the slot or of jamming in the mouth of the latter. Another object is to provide a dispenser of the articles to be type last referred to wherein the plate is removable so as to permit the filling of the receptacle through the bottom thereof.

Still another and highly important object is the provision of a slot in the supporting plate which, in combination with the complementary opening in the front panel of the receptacle, permits the prospective user to engage and withdraw with his fingers one of a pack of toothpicks housed therein, the plate and panel on opposite sides of the slot and opening protecting the ends of the adjacent articles to be subsequently dispensed so as to prevent contamination thereof incident to such successive withdrawals.

Numerous other objects and salient features of my invention, such, for example, as simplicity of construction, economy of manufacture, facility in filling the receptacle, and durability, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon an examination of the following description read in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front isometric view of one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the front and back panels of the device shown in Fig. 1'; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numerals of which indicate similar parts throughout the two views, 5 designates generally the receptacle of the dispenser which is rectangular in cross-section and comprises a back 6, sides 1, and a front panel 8. The upper end of receptacle 5 is enclosed by a top 9, and the assembly is secured rigidly together by any suitable means such as screws, nails, glue or the like. The bottom of the receptacle is preferably open to permit the insertion of the pack of individually dispensed. Most toothpicks and matches are packed by the manufacturer or distributor in boxes of comparable size, and accordingly it is desirable that receptacle 5 be constructed in the same proportion but slightly larger to facilitate the filling of the dispenser, as will appear.

A slot I0 is formed in front panel 8 adjacent the lower edge thereof, and registering therewith grooves l I, of lesser width than slot II], are milled in the inner surfaces of the side walls, respectively, in transverse alignment with one another. Grooves II decline from the panel to back (5 of the receptacle, and their rearward ends are connected by a complementary groove is inserted through slot ID of panel 8 and extends to the back 6 with its edges slidably accommodated in the respective grooves II and I2 which support the plate in an inclined position, the back of plate I3 being lower than the forward edge which projects slightly from the front panel. The difference in width between slot I and the grooves II and I2 in which supporting plate I3 is accommodated preserves an elongated opening in front panel 8 above plate I3 of a length and width sufficient to permit the lateral movement of articles to be dispensed therethrough. This opening is enlarged intermediate its ends above the plate I3 as indicated at I4. correspondingly, the forward edge of supporting plate I3 is recessed as at I5 intermediate its side edges to a depth greater than the thickness of panel 8. It will be understood that recess IS in plate l3 may be of a depth almost as great as the width of the plate though this is not necesssary for practical utility.

As hereinabove indicated, receptacle 5 is easily filled with the articles to be dispensed, through the bottom thereof, plate I3 being slidably removed from slot It). To accomplish the packing of the receptacle with greatest facility, one end of the carton of toothpicks or matches (not shown) of a size commensurate with the interior of the receptacle is cut away, and the entire carton inserted into the receptacle which is then inverted and the carton removed so as to leave the contents of the latter in the receptacle without disturbance of the original packed condition of the articles with respect to one another. Plate I3 is then inserted into the grooves II and I2 through the slot ill in panel 8, and receptacle 5 is reinverted, whereupon the dispenser is ready for use.

With the dispenser in upright position, the articles with which the receptacle is packed gravitate onto plate I3. As the plate declines rearwardly from slot II] in front panel B, the articles are stacked against the back 6 of the receptacle, the front side of the stack inclining rearwardly from a point adjacent slot I0 toward the top of back 6. The friction between the articles prevents the weight of the stack from ejecting any of the articles from the receptacle through slot I0. Thus, a prospective user may withdraw the lowermost toothpick or match which is nearest adjacent panel 8 by inserting his fingers through the enlargement I4 of the latter and recess I5 formed in plate I3. In this manner the user grasps only the center portion of a toothpick, as the ends of the latter, being supported on plate I3, are protected against manual contact by the front panel 8 and sides I of the receptacle. Upon withdrawal of one of the toothpicks or matches through the slot ll], another falls into place upon plate I3 from the stack thereabove, and due to the inclination of the plate single articles will, incident to successive withdrawals, continue to fall upon the plate in advance of the body of the stack and being so isolated from those above 6 may easily be removed without effort. Moreover, only a comparatively few of the articles thereabove will be disturbed incident to each withdrawal, the bulk of the stack continuing to be supported by plate I3 rearwardly of the one withdrawn and not depending upon the isolated forward article for support. As the stack decreases in size, its generally triangular shape is preserved, so that gravitation of the articles successively into position for withdrawal as described is only limited by the depth of the recess I5 and size of the enlargement I4 of the slot I0.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a dispenser adapted to house in an almost entirely enclosed receptacle a large quantity of small elongated articles such as toothpicks and matches having a member therein operable to perform the dual function of supporting the stack of articles within the receptacle and of directing the same, which move individually in response to their own weight as well as to the weight of the bulk of the articles thereabove, into a position closely adjacent a slot in the receptacle, in combination with a construction which facilitates manual withdrawal of individual articles successively therethrough.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that numerous changes in size, design, shape and number of the various parts may be made, that any means well known in the art for removably supporting plate I3 may be substituted for that employed in the embodiment illustrated, and that the plate may, in a modified form hereof, be secured rigidly in position within the receptacle, and the top 9 of the latter be made removable in an obvious manner to permit the filling of the receptacle therethrough, without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a dispenser, a box comprising verticallydisposed sides, back and front panel, said panel having a transverse slot adjacent its lower edge, the ends of which slot register with the ends of oppositely-disposed grooves formed in the inner surfaces of the sides, said grooves declining rearwardly from the slot in the panel to the back,

and a plate having a central recess therein for supporting articles to be dispensed, said plate extending through said slot and having its edges supported slidably in said grooves, whereby the plate is normally tilted downwardly toward the back of the box with the recess in the upper forward edge thereof, the slot in said front panel being enlarged centrally above the plate to permit entry into the box for engagement and removal of articles supported on the plate across the recess in the latter.

EUGENE RAYMOND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Number Name Date 409,055 Mitchell Aug. 13, 1889 1,785,107 Bartholomew Dec. 16, 1930 2,085,314 Hamilton June 29, 193'! 

